Brooder.



PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

E. GRUMMER.

BROODER. APPLICATION n'um MAB.21,1 906.

[NVENTOR i'amma" wa d W1 TNESSES:

BY M an! Allorney THE NORRIS PIT]!!! CO, WAJHINUYON, A C.

r UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE. EDWARD GRUMMER, OF LUZERNE, IOWVA.

BROODER.

i No. 826,932.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1906.

Application filed March 21, 1906x Serial No. 307,268.

To r llwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD GRUMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Luzerne, in the county of Benton and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Brooders, of which the following is aspecification. I

The invention relates to an improvement in brooders designed for service as an artificial protecting device or mother for chickens and other poultry.

The main object of the present invention is the construction of a brooder designed to provide an inelosure in which very young poultry may be safely housed and protected against the elements, the construction providing an artificial condition as nearly resem-' bling the natural protection of the mother as possible.

The invention will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improved brooder, showing the same for use in connection with a feed-chamber. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the brooder.

Referring particularly to the drawings, my improved brooder comprises a box-like casing 1, including side and end walls 2 and 3 and a bottom 4. The brooder is preferably constructed of wood or similar light material and is of course to be of the size desired in connection with the number of the chickens intended to be housed; The side walls, end walls, and bottom are covered With a layer of non-heat-conducting material 4, such as cotton, which may be of any desired thickness, and over this layer 4 is arranged a strip 5 of textile material to provide for supporting the cotton and at the same time providing a comparatively smooth finish.

The roof of the brooder is formed of a series of transversely-arranged strips 6, the central strips being spaced apart to provide an opening 7 and the successive strips on each slde the central strips being regularly and uniformly spaced from said central strips and from each other, the spacing of said latter strips being less than the distance between the central strips, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

A strip of textile material 8, similar to the strip 5, is secured between the strips 6, being preferably secured upon the upper surface of said strips and depending between the strips to form back-like extensions. The backs are filled with the non-heat-conducting material 10, similar to the layer 4, said material being preferably in sufficient quantity to fill the back-like extensions and provide a series of depending ribs 11, which are arranged wholly transverse the brooder and in spaced parallel relation, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The ribs 11 are designed to afford a rotecting medium between and beneath w ich the chickens may hover, said ribs, owing to their connections with the slats through the medium of the textile strip 8, being comparatively freely movable within limits, as will be obvious. It will thus be noted that the top of the brooder, hereinafter referred to as the hover-board 1, is formed with a series of depending ribs extending transversely thereof, each of which is formedwholly ofnon-heatconducting material and which are movable relative to the fixed portion of said board.

The opening provided between the central slats 6 is designed to be closed by a suitable cover which may in the event a certain degree of ventilation is desired for the brooder com rise a screen 12, the side strips of which are esigned to be supported upon the central strips 6 of the hover-board, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. It is obvious, however, that the cover may, if desired, be of a solid light and air-excluding medium, whereby to effectually and entirely close the opening formed between said strips.

By preference the brooder is maintained as a dark chamber, experience having demonstrated the advanta e of such. To further increase this effect, t e textile strips 5 and 8 are preferably of dark or black material. One side Wall 2 of the brooder is formed with an entrance-o ening designed to be closed when desired y a slide-door 13, which may be of any usual or preferred construction.

In connection wlth the brooder I provide a feeding-chamber comprising a casing 14, having a top 1.5. The top is hinged to the casing and comprises a rectangular frame in which is adapted to be secured, through the medium of turn-buttons 16, a frame 17, containing one or a series of lights 18, by which light and heat from the atmosphere may be admitted into the feed-chamber. By virtue of the removability of the frame 17 I arrange the feeding-chamber for adaptation to varying conditions, as I am thereby permitted to substitute for said glass frame an opaque frame, if it is desired to cut off the light completely, or a screen-frame in the event it is desired to ventilate the feed-chamber.

An opening isv formed in one end wall of the feeding-chamber which is commensurate in,

size with the opening in the brooder, so that said openings maybe alined and the chicks permitted to enter the feeding-chamber from the brooderwhen it is desired to exercise or feed them. The construction described is simple and provides for an efiecti-ve housing and protection for the poultry, in fact serving in all respects as an artificial mother.

Having thus described the. invention. what is claimed as new is A brooder comprising a casing, a hoverboard secured therein comprising a series of strips arranged transverse the casing, and a series of intermediate de ending ribs of non heat-conducting materia the transverse center of the hover-board being free of said nonheat-conducting material to provide an opening, and means to cover said opening.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD GRUMMER..

Witnesses W. A. MALL, W. H. GRUMMER. 

